


Meant to be the loser

by Mitochondryeol



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Attempt at Humor, Cliche, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, all the others are minor, cause I'm sappy and lame, chanbaek is the main ship, probably no heavy angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-06-23 04:31:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15598350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mitochondryeol/pseuds/Mitochondryeol
Summary: Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun should have never interacted but they get mixed up in a stupid bet.And it's all Chanyeol's fault.





	1. Great ideas are born from boredom

**Author's Note:**

> It's my first story so just keep in mind that I have no idea what I'm doing

The room was illuminated with strong light, clearly indicating it was way past sunrise but the lone figure was still in deep sleep slouched on the scattered papers on the desk. Behind the door the cacophony of office noises was irritating the peaceful slumber he was in. Slowly blinking away the lethargy he raised his head and looked around in bemusement.  


“Holy shit, it’s past 11!” – Chanyeol shouted in panic quickly getting up, grabbing his things from the desk and throwing them carelessly into his backpack.  


He had a test in his fifth period that he can’t miss but seeing that it already started he could only pray that his teacher will let him take it next time like all these other times rather than leaving his mark as 0 which is worse than writing nothing on the test. Why did he have to oversleep on this day out all others? He literally had nothing to do in school yesterday, but today aside from the test he had to hand in two assignments. 

Hopefully the teachers will be more understanding than his history teacher, even though he can’t really blame her since coincidentally he always ends up missing her classes when he has business meetings and he may or may not have slipped out officially to go to the toilet just to never come back to the class. And he may have done that more than a few times. So it’s really understandable that she always gets pissed at him but it’s not like his doing it on purpose, he’s not even the one scheduling the meetings and his father doesn’t ask him if he has classes or not.  


The same happened yesterday except he didn’t have to miss any classes but the meeting ended late and he still had some work to finish in the office and that’s how he ended up with head on the desk at 5 am passed out from the exhaustion. Now rushing to his car in the underground parking he could feel the pain in his neck from sleeping for hours in uncomfortable position. This day was starting-off just great.

_ 

 

Using his long legs to his advantage Chanyeol burst out though the main door of the school hoping he can at least avoid his history teacher till the end of this period but of course he had no such luck. However he didn’t expect his teacher to already be chewing out some other guy probably about the same thing he was about to get punished himself. 

When he looked closer at the guy he couldn’t contain the smirk that showed on his face. No one in the school could miss the red strings of hair in the otherwise dark mullet that the boy was showing off with pride like it wasn’t the ugliest hairstyle the humanity has ever seen. And what was even more infuriating he looked _good_ in it. If Chanyeol has ever pulled out something like that he would look incredibly ridiculous but the guy somehow still looked unfairly stunning. Chanyeol’s trail of thoughts was interrupted (thankfully cause it wasn’t going in the right direction) by his teacher finally noticing his presence.  


“Park Chanyeol, you didn’t show up for a test again. I hope you’re aware of the consequences.”- she said glaring at him with clear displeasure and irritation. 

“ _Great, fucking fantastic_ ” thought Chanyeol but he still tried to defend himself.  


“Mrs Kim, you know I’m not doing it on purpose, I always get As on the second term so why would I go out of my way to avoid the test” – he practically whined knowing already that the explanation is useless.  


“You always say that and still it’s only my classes that you miss” – Chanyeol opened his mouth to say another explanation but Mrs Kim lifted her hand to indicate that she won’t take any arguments.  


“Enough Park, you and Mr Byun here get detention for two weeks and I’ll think about the questions for your test, maybe some special assignment so you can show me how passionate you are about my subject since you have such good grades Mr Park.” – Mrs Kim said with a mocking smile and walked away. 

Chanyeol wondered if teachers are supposed to be so malicious since she clearly enjoyed ruining his life. And whenever he complains to his father about it (since it’s technically _his_ fault that Chanyeol have to go to all the meetings and work till late) he gets no sympathy at all and the only thing his father says is “ _That’s life, son_ ”. “ _That’s life my ass_ ” Chanyeol thinks but of course he can’t say that. And on top of everything he has detention now. _Detention!_ He barely has time to eat between school and work but now he also have to go to detention.  


A loud sigh interrupts him and he looks at Byun Baekhyun who has his shoulders slumped and an unreadable expression on his face that Chanyeol can’t decide if it looks more irritated or hopeless, but the underlying worry is clear in his eyes. 

It surprises Chanyeol since he saw many times how Baekhyun and his friend were scolded by teachers for their loud behaviour and _I-don’t-give-a-fuck_ attitude and he never blinked an eye all those times but now he looks like a sad puppy getting scolded for the first time when he just wanted to play. 

That creates a weird feeling in Chanyeol’s chest and the sudden need to protect overwhelms him but he quickly composes himself before he can do something that will make him look like an idiot in front of the guy (and it wouldn’t be the first time, _unfortunately_ ).  


You see, Chanyeol and Baekhyun are not exactly friends, neither are they enemies but they just don’t get in each other way. 

As cliché as it sounds Chanyeol is the popular rich kid that together with his clique sits in the centre of the cafeteria, always at the same table that other students don’t even dare to look at. 

It’s not like he thinks his better than others or that he behaves like that but people just naturally started treating him that way and he never cared to change that. 

All his friends are rich but not because he hates poor people or thinks less of them but because their parents are business partners or they lived in the same neighbourhood so he basically knows all of them since childhood.  


Baekhyun on the other hand is also popular but for a different reason. His pack of friends is considered as the cool kids in school, they sit at the corner of the cafeteria and behave like they don’t give a fuck about anyone’s opinion, Baekhyun’s hairstyle confirms it enough.  


Before Chanyeol can stop himself the words leave his lips  


“Hey, you alright there?”  


Baekhyun jerks his head up startled and locks eyes with Chanyeol, surprise visible on his face but he quickly relaxes and heaves a sigh.  


“Yeah, don’t mind me. See you at detention” – and like that he walked away leaving Chanyeol with unsettling feeling.

_

 

Since when did this school turned into a place full of saints cause _no one_ , literally no one was there except Chanyeol and Baekhyun and the distance between them only made things more awkward. 

The teacher flew out of the room five minutes into the punishment, probably also feeling uncomfortable because of the dead silence that settled in the room and Chanyeol dreamed about nothing but doing exactly that but of course he couldn’t. 

Baekhyun was settled five sits from him, scribbling something in his notebook that Chanyeol couldn’t really see and looked like his mind was already in a different place far away from the awkwardness that was currently making Chanyeol go crazy. Why did he even feel like that in the first place, it’s not like they usually talked to each other so it’s obvious they won’t interact in a situation like this. 

Heaving a sigh he opened his bag and took out the documents that he was working on the night before and decided that since he will be late in the office anyway he may as well be productive and finish them now. 

He stole a last glimpse at the figure sitting to his right and almost choked when he saw the boy quickly averting gaze from his direction. He decided not to read anything into it, he was already too tired to think logically and he had to focus on his work. However the weird atmosphere remained till the end of detention and the uneasy feeling didn’t leave Chanyeol for much longer.

_

 

The next day Chanyeol was ready to pass out before he even crossed the gates of his school. Since he was late in the office of course he had to stay longer but this time he made sure to set an alarm so he would still have time to go back to his apartment to take a shower and change but not early enough to grab breakfast. 

That’s why he was currently starving while trying to use the remaining energy to drag himself into the cafeteria. He spotted Sehun and Tao already sitting at their table and soon Kris joined them with a tray of food. Chanyeol quickly grabbed a tray and without paying much attention put some rice and vegetables not really caring what he would eat as long as something would enter his stomach that seem to have started digesting itself from how much it hurt.  


Chanyeol sat at the table and immediately dig in almost moaning when the food entered his mouth. Yes, he was _that_ hungry. Sehun and Tao spared him a glance uninterested making it clear who actually cared about his well being in this group.  


“Man, slow down, I’m not saving your ass when you’ll choke and die”  


“ _Oh yeah, no one actually cares, thanks for reminder Kris_ ” Chanyeol thought. Even his best friend failed him, not like that was a big surprise.  


“I didn’t have time to eat anything yesterday and I skipped breakfast today so excuse me for trying to survive” – Chanyeol said with mild irritation but Kris interrupted him.  


“Where were you yesterday, I didn’t see you at school and when I went to check on you in your apartment no one was there” – at least now he looked a little concerned, even if he acted like an asshole sometimes Chanyeol still knew that he was a reliable friend.  


“Ah yes, I came to school after fifth period and went to the office right after”  


“Wait, didn’t you have a history test on fifth period, you know how much Mrs Kim hates you-“ – Chanyeol wondered if it was really necessary to remind him again but nevertheless he was impressed that Kris actually remembered his schedule. “ _What a weirdo_ ” he thought but there was no mockery in it, just fondness.  


“Yes, I know that and that’s exactly why I didn’t have time to eat anything because she gave me fucking detention!” – he was getting angry just thinking about it.  


“Then why did you skip her class again idiot?”  


“Do you think I’m stupid enough to do that on purpose?! Don’t you dare answer that asshole! I pulled an all-nighter and fell asleep in the office.”  


“Well, tough luck mate” – Chanyeol was ready to strangle his best friend because this guy had the nerves to give him just a shrug when the younger was drowning in work even without the detention and he knew that. Chanyeol was just about to give a snarky comment about his attitude but was interrupted by Junmyeon and Jongin joining them at the table.  


“Hyung, where were you yesterday, we were supposed to hit the gym together?” – Jongin said sitting next to Chanyeol and pouting at him to show how disappointed he was in his hyung. “ _Ahh, what a cute kid_ ” Chanyeol thought. Jongin was the only dongsaeng in the group that actually respected him and that’s why he was his favourite.  


“Sorry Jongin-ah. I had a lot of work, let’s go on Saturday morning, my schedule for the week is full” – Chanyeol ruffled Jongin’s hair and got a whine in return but the younger nodded nonetheless to his proposition. 

A shiver suddenly run down Chanyeol’s spine and he felt someone’s eyes on his back. He turned around and caught none other than Byun Baekhyun looking directly at him. But before he could react the shorter averted his gaze and went back to conversing with his friends like nothing happened. Intrigued, Chanyeol smirked to himself and went back to his food. “ _This is gonna be fun_ ”.

_

 

Well, he said it was gonna be fun but when he entered the classroom for detention Baekhyun was already there and didn’t even spare him a glance. 

But Chanyeol didn’t really mind, it’s not like he expected something, he was in relatively good mood since the meeting he had scheduled for today just got cancelled so he would actually have time to eat before heading to the office which seemed impossible to happen for the next two weeks. 

He sat at the same sit as yesterday and took out his homework so he wouldn’t be wasting time doing nothing. Before he knew it he started humming quietly a familiar melody and tapped his foot to the rhythm. 

Absorbed in his work he missed a pair of curious eyes watching him intently and smiling softly at the sight.

_

 

Next few days went by without anything special happening, during detention Chanyeol and Baekhyun didn’t even acknowledge each other besides the occasional glances. 

It became a routine that Chanyeol would bring documents from the office and work on them while Baekhyun always had the same notebook and would sooner or later get lost in his own world lazily scribbling something on the paper. 

The teacher would usually leave after ten to fifteen minutes so they were left in silence but Chanyeol didn’t mind it anymore, it was even relaxing in some way so he often found himself smiling or humming or just getting lost in his thoughts. 

Sometimes he thought it was rather enjoyable to feel someone’s presence when he was focusing on his tasks, it didn’t feel lonely like that.  
What he didn’t expect was that now he would see Baekhyun _everywhere_. 

Even though he was aware that they shared a few classes it was weird that now Baekhyun was the first to appear in his sight after entering the classroom. He would also notice him in the corridor or would hear his voice above all others. 

Maybe he was just tired from overworking. Who would have thought that the son of a CEO of the biggest gaming company in South Korea would be working his ass off every day? Initially he was suppose to get experience that would prepare him for taking over his father’s role in the future but now he thinks he’s father is just using him to have less work himself. “ _That old prick_ ”  


Considering that it is Friday Chanyeol decides to leave the office earlier and catch up on some sleep. Unfortunately his “earlier” still means past midnight and he promised Jongin to go to the gym with him on Saturday morning which turns out wasn’t the best idea but he don’t want to disappoint his dongsaeng for the second time. He plans to spend the rest of the day in bed anyway, preferably with some good movie and a few cans of beer.

_

 

The weekend went great and Chanyeol was able to relax a bit without thoughts about a certain boy crossing his mind even for once. Even Monday started relatively calm and he was grateful for that. 

Walking leisurely towards his friends in the cafeteria Chanyeol was smiling softly without even realising. The hidden excitement was bubbling in his stomach since morning but he couldn’t understand why so he decided to enjoy it before his phone will be bombarded with text from his father’s secretary about all the meetings he will have to attend this week.  


He was eating slowly while conversing with his friends when a heartfelt laugh entered his ears. It was like all the usual noise of the cafeteria was muted and only the bubbly giggles were registered by his brain. 

He turned his head in the direction of the voice and hold his breath when he saw Byun Baekhyun smiling brightly with eyes forming crescents and emitting happy aura. Chanyeol smiled unconsciously while staring but Jongin shaking his side broke him out of the trance.  


“Are you even listening hyung?” – Chanyeol gave him apologetic look.  


“Ah, sorry. What were you talking about?” – he could see in the corner of his eye Kris looking at him with curious expression, judging him silently but he decided to ignore him.  


“We were planning to go to Sehun’s after school. Are you in?” – in normal situation he would agree without hesitation but this time he had to decline.  


“Sorry, I still have detention for a week. I’ll catch up on weekend, promise.” – Jongin pouted at this but quickly joined the conversation between their friends that was already on completely different subject. 

When Chanyeol looked back, Baekhyun and his friends were already gone.

_

 

As expected his phone rings soon after his last class ended, the only problem is the fact that he’s still at school and he can’t even leave the room to answer it. 

Even though the teacher is not in class as always he already discovered last week that she would still somehow find out that he left since he just went to use the bathroom for 5 minutes but she was already waiting for him by the door. 

So he ignored the first call and the second hoping that they would get the hint and call later but the third call he received was from his father and he knew that he had to answer it. He looked at Baekhyun doing the usual and asked  


“Do you mind if I answer the phone here. It’s important and I can’t leave.”  


Baekhyun got startled by the sudden deep voice but when he registered what the voice said he nodded with a quiet “Go on”  


Chanyeol didn’t waste time to click the green button not wanting to risk missing the call and getting reprimanded by his father even more.  


“Hi dad- Yes, yes I know, but- I told you already I have det- Yeah, yeah I’ll be there, just tell her to send me a mail with the details- Yes, I’m sorry, I really couldn’t- Okay, send me the copies and I’ll take care of it- Yes, see you later, say sorry to Mrs.Lee for me, bye.” – Chanyeol heaved a sigh, he couldn’t even say a proper sentence. He heard a soft giggle from he’s right and looked at the source with fake annoyance.  


“What’s so funny, Byun?” – Baekhyun couldn’t hide his amusement but he tried to tone down his laugh.  


“I didn’t expect to witness Mr.Rich and Handsome have a conversation like that while looking all kinds of troubled and lost. You make really funny expressions did you know that?”  


Chanyeol was stunned for a moment by the playful and comfortable tone Baekhyun was using but he quickly composed himself and glared at the boy feigning hurt.  


“What do you mean by that? If you were gonna react like that you shouldn’t have agreed to let me answer the phone.”  


Missing the mischievous glint in Chanyeol’s eyes Baekhyun started panicking in his head. How could he just say that to the person that was practically a stranger and what worse that could destroy him and his family in the blink of an eye. 

Okay, maybe he was exaggerating but the fact that he felt so comfortable to just say that without second thoughts confused him. He usually took a lot of time to warm up to other people but with Chanyeol he just blurted it out during probably the first conversation they had since the beginning of high school.  


Chanyeol after the lack of response looked at Baekhyun and saw the panic in his eyes.  


“Hey, chill out, I was just joking. I would probably laugh as well if I was in your position, so don’t worry. I mean I act all confident in school but I still can’t stand a chance with my parents, how pathetic is that.” – Chanyeol tried to joke about himself to ease the tension and it seems like it worked since a small smile showed on Baekhyun’s face.  


“It’s not pathetic, you should have seen my conversation with my mother, it’s pointless to even try to say anything”  


And somehow just like that they started talking about random things and before they knew it detention was already over.  


“If you want I can give you a ride, I have my car with me” – Chanyeol proposed when they were about to part ways.  


“It won’t be necessary, I’m going in the opposite direction and I think you should hurry before your father call you again” – Baekhyun giggled remembering the funny conversation and Chanyeol scoffed at being teased but he nodded and left to go to his car. He looked back at Baekhyun’s retrieving figure and thought how things were starting to get interesting.

_

 

Aside the clear chemistry that was between them the day before it seemed like they were back to square one the next day, except the acknowledging nod Chanyeol got from Baekhyun when he entered the room. 

He wasn’t in the mood to converse anyway. During lunch one of his ex-girlfriends was trying to make a scene, she came to his table showing him a photo of him and some random girl during a party and shouted about him cheating on her or some shit. 

They were barely together for two weeks because he couldn’t stand her for longer and it was already some time since they actually broke up. 

It’s not like anyone was surprised or would care anyway, it was common knowledge that Chanyeol didn’t do relationships, the longest one lasted for four months and it was still a wonder for his friends how he stayed for so long. 

Well, what can he say, the girl knew how to satisfy his needs but he got bored anyway. He didn’t care but the situation still made him annoyed so he decided to just listen to music rather than work during detention.  


Actually, Baekhyun was similar to him in that sense, he never saw him with a girlfriend or a boyfriend but he heard about how many people he fucked. They were often compared with each other and he’s pretty sure there’s an ongoing bet among the students about which of them will be tied down first. How sad must be your life if you care about someone else’s so much that you’re ready to bet money on that. 

But he must admit that spending this much time in the same room as Baekhyun (since you can’t even say they spent time _together_ ) made him a little curious about this as well. However it’s not like he plans to do anything about it so whatever.

_

 

It was already Friday, the past few days were so uneventful that Chanyeol was dying from boredom. He looked to his right and Baekhyun was doing the same thing he did for the past two weeks. God, this guy could use some excitement as well. 

And that’s how he got the idea. Looking from time perspective it may have not been the smartest thing he came up with but the lethargy he felt during the week was making him go crazy.  


“Hey, Baekhyun” – he waited for some form of acknowledgement before continuing  


“Let’s make a bet”


	2. Why would I agree?

Baekhyun was woken up by the unusual rattle and sound of rushed footsteps outside of his door. He quickly took his phone to check the time because he was always the one to wake up as the first person in the house. Looking at the screen the numbers showed that it was 4:30am, an unimaginable hour for his parents to already be up. Starting to be slightly worried Baekhyun dragged himself out of bed to look at the commotion outside. 

Fortunately it really were his parents but that didn’t calm him down just yet, he still had to find out why they were up at this ungodly hour. He noticed his father rushing through the hallway.  


“Hey, dad, what’s going on?” – he said with raspy voice and Mr Byun turned around surprised to see his son standing in pyjamas, barefoot and still sleepy with messy bed hair.  


“The big delivery for the flower shop that we ordered a month ago will arrive in half an hour and we have to hurry to open the shop and help to unpack it” – said Mr Byun not paying much attention to Baekhyun anymore as he was looking around, most likely searching for his glasses that he tended to leave around without care. 

Now this situation made much more sense to Baekhyun, he obviously heard about the delivery and everybody was looking forward to it since some rare flowers were supposed to be delivered.  


“Then why didn’t you wake me up, I’ll help you”  


“Did you forgot that you have school, Baek? You should get some more sleep or start getting ready” – his father dismissed him but Baekhyun couldn’t just leave his parents alone with the work, his mother shouldn’t be carrying so many things and his father was complaining about back pain just a few days ago. 

If it was weekend his brother would be there to help but it was the middle of the week so he was attending his classes at college and staying on campus. That’s why Baekhyun had to convince his father to let him help and he went with the first idea that popped in his mind.  


“Oh, I forgot to tell you but my first classes were cancelled because the teacher got sick so I have plenty of time before that. And I already woke up so I won’t be able to go back to sleep.” – Baekhyun reasoned while stretching to fully awaken his muscles. 

His father looked sceptical for a moment but even he was aware that every help was needed so he just nodded and turned to grab his jacket.  


“Hurry up then”  


“Yes sir” – Baekhyun saluted and grinned at his father’s retreating figure. “ _That went smoothly._ ”

_

When Baekhyun was younger his mother would always take him to their flower shop with her and talk about various flowers and their meaning. He was always fascinated how many emotions can be hidden in the simple bouquet of flowers. His mother was really passionate so whenever someone came in asking for typical red roses she would always question the occasion and feelings they wanted to convey with the bouquet and usually the customers would leave with various other flowers and not a single red rose. 

That was also the reason Baekhyun looked forward to this unusual delivery. He got a glimpse of what came to the shop while unpacking the truck and he couldn’t wait to create new compositions that will be put at the display. He has been doing that since he was a kid and sometimes people came in to order the exact composition that was displayed and in that moments Baekhyun felt extremely proud. One time a couple asked for the same florist to create compositions for their wedding and the expressions they had when they saw a thirteen year old boy were priceless.  


When the whole delivery was put in the backroom of the shop and his parents decided to take a little break, Baekhyun started rummaging through the new flowers. What caught his attention was something they ordered for the first time, the Birds of Paradise, also known as Crane flowers. The sight took his breath away, he saw pictures of them but the flowers in real life were even more gorgeous, the vibrant colours looked aesthetic. He had to put them on display, but as much as the flowers looked ravishing alone, it would be too empty with just them. 

Baekhyun looked around to find something that would match them. He took Hibiscus roses in peachy and rosy shades, yellow-white Plumeria and some palm fronds to keep the exotic vibe of the arrangement. 

He was engrossed in his work and completely forgot about the time so he jumped startled when his phone rang loudly in the silent empty shop. A quick look at the ID told him that he should brace himself for more loud noises. He answered the call and was welcomed with boisterous scream.  


“Baek, where are you? Did something happen, you haven’t told us that you’ll be skipping school today?” – Jongdae’s obnoxious voice blared through the phone and Baekhyun had to put it a little further from his ear if he didn’t want it to start bleeding.  


“I’m not skipping school, calm down, I just planned to miss the first classes to help my parents at the shop”  


“First classes? Baek, the lunch break is ending, we have a history test next and Mrs Kim won’t be happy if you miss it again” – this caused Baekhyun to choke on air, he hasn’t realised how late it was already.  


“Oh crap, I totally forgot about the test. Well, that just means I wouldn’t get a good grade anyway so it’s not a big loss” – he tried to lighten his mood before he started panicking, if his parents find out he lied, he’s done for.  


“You’re an absolute idiot, Byun” – he thinks he heard Minseok’s laughter in the background after Jongdae said that but he was busy trying to collect his stuff that was lying around in the complete mess he managed to create in the short period of time so he couldn’t be bothered by his hyung’s lack of sympathy. On top of that he still had to go back home to grab his backpack. _Just great._

_

Baekhyun’s plan was to avoid Mrs Kim at all cost and lie about being sick in the next class but of course life couldn’t be that easy and the first person he bumped into turned out to be exactly his history teacher. Baekhyun could only prepare himself for the long lecture he was about to get.  


“Oh, Byun, so you decided to show up just after my period, how convenient for you. Did you thought you will avoid the test if you do that?” – there was something really malicious in the way she was talking but Baekhyun stopped paying attention to whatever shit she was saying. It didn’t matter since he didn’t even skip the class on purpose, he had bigger problem on his mind. 

The teacher seemed like she wasn’t going to finish any time soon but suddenly she looked past Baekhyun, her expression telling him that she just found another victim. 

Baekhyun turned around to see Park Chanyeol entering the school, wearing unusually formal clothes, white shirt with rolled up sleeves and black suit trousers. He looked really handsome in this attire but what’s new, it is Park Chanyeol after all, everyone would look good in an outfit worth more than half of the school. 

But it also meant that Baekhyun was saved, there was no one that Ms.Kim hated more than this guy. Running away from her lessons is never a good idea but Baekhyun have to admit that he respects Chanyeol for that. But only a _little_.  


Seeing the poor guy trying to argue back like it would actually ever work was honestly pathetic but the word _detention_ broke Baekhyun from his thoughts. Oh no, he can’t afford to go to detention, his parents will definitely find out and they will feel guilty that Baekhyun got into trouble because he was helping them. And the test will definitely be harder so he’ll get a bad grade again which will only make he’s parents worry even more. How did he got into this mess? He unconsciously sighed, just thinking about it was already giving him a headache.  


“Hey, you alright there?” – Chanyeol’s voice broke the silence and Baekhyun almost jumped startled, he never expected the other to notice or care for that matter but the taller’s eyes showed genuine concern.  


“Yeah, don’t mind me. See you at detention” – Baekhyun answered, waving sluggishly and slowly walking off to his next class, head full of worries.

_

Baekhyun showed up first for the detention and the room was empty, not even the teacher arrived yet but he didn’t really care, teacher or not he still had to spend the next hour sitting there and wasting time. He could be doing his homework but instead he decided to relax a bit and took out his sketchbook. 

If there was anything he liked more than flowers, it would be drawing. And not only drawing, he liked designing new things and drawing gave him enough freedom to do so. He never shared it with anyone but every season he created his own mini fashion collections, he even tried sewing some of his clothes but it was easier said than done so he stopped on designing.  


He was sketching lazily when the shuffle next to him caught his attention. He didn’t even realise when Chanyeol arrived but it wasn’t uncommon for him to lose contact with outside world when he started drawing. 

He looked at the papers scattered on the desk, they seemed like important documents. Baekhyun wondered for a moment what kind of work could Chanyeol possibly be doing. “ _Isn’t he rich, there’s no need for him to work at all._ ” 

He only noticed that he was actually staring when his eyes met with Chanyeol’s so he quickly avoided his gaze. “ _Man, that detention will sure be a pain in the ass_ ”

_

Two weeks passed in a blink of an eye and it was already Friday, the last day of his detention. Just as every time Baekhyun was sketching in his notebook, paying no attention to his surroundings. He tended to do that a lot, whenever he did something he really enjoyed, he would become so engrossed in the activity that the world outside was just a blur to him.  


“Hey Baekhyun” – he registered Chanyeol’s voice and hummed softly in acknowledgement to indicate that he was listening even if he didn’t give him his full attention.  


“Let’s make a bet” – Chanyeol said with underlying tone of some emotion Baekhyun couldn’t decipher.  


“What kind of bet?” – Baekhyun answered absent-mindedly.  


“Let’s date”  


“ _What!_ ” Baekhyun thought as his eyes shot wide open, his mind repeating Chanyeol’s words. “ _Did this guy finally went crazy after two weeks of sitting in this room? I didn’t know it could be that harmful_ ”  


“E-excuse me..” – Baekhyun asked not believing his own ears.  


“Let’s date” – Chanyeol repeated confidently, a small smirk playing on his lips.  


“What kind of bet is this, how can you even lose?”  


“ _Except having to date some mad guy that lost his mind_ ” Baekhyun thought.  


“It’s obvious, the first one to fall in love loses”- Chanyeol said clearly amused that Baekhyun didn’t get it from the beginning. “ _How was that obvious, what kind of logic is that?_ ”  


“And why would I do something like that, I gain nothing from this?” – Baekhyun was still confused, continuing to question Chanyeol’s sanity.  


“So impatient, I haven’t even said what would be the prize” – Baekhyun looked expectantly at Chanyeol, his glare challenging the taller to try propose something worth going with this ridiculous deal.  


“How about BMW R Nine T Pure, what do you say now?” – Baekhyun was sure his jaw was now sweeping the floor because how could Chanyeol just propose a motorbike worth 12 thousand dollars and on top of that the exact model Baekhyun was dreaming about. How did he know, this guy is definitely not normal. But something just occurred to him.  


“But I can’t afford that if I lose” – he said in a whiny tone.  


“You’re planning to lose?” – Chanyeol chuckled showing him his cheeky smile that made him look more boyish and was so damn attractive. Baekhyun felt the warmth creeping up his neck and cheeks but he told himself that it’s just because he was getting irritated.  


“Chill, I don’t need anyone to buy me things. Instead...hmm, let me think... how about you’ll be my slave for a week” – Baekhyun couldn’t believe how cocky the guy is.  


“Why would I willingly become your slave?”  


“Listen, it will only happen if you lose and - unless you have some secret crush on me - I suppose you have no intention to actually fall in love” – Chanyeol had a point but that just made the whole deal more suspicious, if the taller intends to lose he can just give him the motorbike and spare them the trouble, why bother with some weird bet?  


“Then what is in it for you, have too much spare money or what?” – Baekhyun said, the hint of his usual sassiness in his voice.  


“You’re aware of the bet going around the school about which of us will date first?” – the rich guy asked but it sounded more like a statement than a question, of course everybody knew.  


“I couldn’t care less about crap like that” – Baekhyun was never a fan of rumours, especially about himself, it was just a bunch of shit and he has more interesting things to care about.  


“I usually don’t pay attention to it but I just thought it would be entertaining to make a bet between the two of us” – the more Chanyeol spoke the more ridiculous it sounded for Baekhyun, he really couldn’t get what was going on in this guy’s head.  


“You really have too much spare time?”  


“Not at all, I just thought it would be fun. C’mon, you have nothing to lose” – Chanyeol whined, looking at him with puppy eyes and _damn_ he looked cute. Something in Baekhyun broke, probably his self-control because he nodded, heaving a sigh and already regretting everything.  


“Okay, how are we going to do it?”  


“We’ll just really start dating, not _pretending_ but _actually_ being a couple. That means even our friends can’t know about the bet, we’ll simulate a perfect relationship.” – now Baekhyun was sure this guy was crazy.  


“Do you even know how relationships work, you’re not exactly famous for staying long with one person” – he accused the taller since he involuntarily heard all the stories about his “relationships”.  


“Right back at you, Byun” – this shut Baekhyun up, Chanyeol was right, he haven’t been in any kind of relationship since beginning of high school. The taller at least dated some people for like – _a week_.  


The ringing sound of the bell interrupted their conversation, it was a sign that detention was over but none of them moved, they just looked at the door. The first to break the silence was Chanyeol.  


“I have some things to do at the office but let’s meet on Sunday and discuss the details. Give me your number, I’ll text you the place and time” – Baekhyun didn’t even try to question what details Chanyeol had in mind, he took the phone and typed in his number. 

Chanyeol smiled at him before taking his bag and leaving the room. “ _He didn’t even offer to give me a ride, so much for being boyfriends_ ”. It sounded uncanny, even in his head but there was no going back now. He just have to see what will happen.

_

When Baekhyun came back home, he threw himself on the bed trying to process what just happened. Did he just got himself into the most preposterous situation he could? Why did he even agree in the first place? 

Sure, getting an expensive motorbike that he certainly could never afford on his own was an advantage but he must have went completely mad to think he can actually seduce someone like Park Chanyeol. Especially since he was never the one doing the seducing. Not to be conceited but people usually tried to appeal to _him_ , not the other way around.  


He spent the rest of the day doubting his ability to make logical decisions until late at night his phone rang signalling an incoming message.  


From: Unknown number  


_Let’s meet at 5pm in the cafe Lucky One. Don’t be late._  


_Sleep tight_  


_-PCY_  


And there he thought Chanyeol realised how stupid the bet was and decided to cancel it. “ _Well, there’s no going back now I guess._ ”

_

Baekhyun struggled for a good few hours to decide what to wear, he had no idea if the cafe was more cosy or elegant so he changed from fluffy sweaters to stylish shirts and back. 

Why did he even care in the first place, it’s not like he really had feelings for Chanyeol. But again, he is supposed to make the latter fall for _him_ so maybe he should care. 

Finally, he ended up wearing a white sweater, black skinny jeans (that made his ass and thighs look _amazing_ if he can say so himself), finishing the look with black choker with a diamond shaped charm. Just enough to look both casual and elegant. And he still had time to avoid being late. _Perfect_.  


Arriving ten minutes early wasn’t usually his thing but he thought he should put some effort to end this as quickly as possible. However, he was surprised to see Chanyeol already waiting for him at the table next to the big window. Not that he expected him to be late, but definitely not so early either.  


The cafe turned out to be the perfect mix between cosy and elegant. The pastel colours made everything look so aesthetic, the sofas with fluffy cushions looked so inviting Baekhyun wanted to melt in them. But what struck him the most was the amount of flowers, _everywhere_. Every table was decorated with a small bouquet but the flowers were also on walls and distributed around the area. The cafe was spacious, designed in a modern style but gave off this warm and calm vibe. Baekhyun would love to come here to sketch, he already came up with a few ideas inspired by this amazing place. It was something he definitely didn’t expect from someone like Chanyeol.  


Speaking of which, the guy already spotted Baekhyun standing in the door in astonishment and waved at him successfully gaining his attention. 

Going in the direction of the table, Baekhyun watched Chanyeol. He was wearing a navy blue shirt with rolled up sleeves and dark skinny jeans, his dark brown hair was naturally styled into curls falling on his forehead. It looked cute and fluffy and Baekhyun had the urge to ruffle the hair but he stopped that thought immediately.  


Baekhyun sat down in front of Chanyeol, giving him a small unsure smile and looking expectantly at the taller. Chanyeol smiled softly at him.  


“You look really nice, Baekhyun” – at that a shade of light pink covered Baekhyun’s cheeks. He may have spent a lot of time to dress up and expected at least an acknowledgement for his effort but he was still charmed by the way Chanyeol said it with his deep honeyed voice. He cleared his throat to gather his thoughts.  


“You too.” – he said in quiet voice – “But I guess you didn’t want to meet just to say that”  


Chanyeol chuckled at that, his dimple showing for a second and damn he looked really attractive. Baekhyun had a weakness for dimples.  


“Of course not, but first what would you like to drink? You can also get a dessert if you want, it’s on me. I heard their strawberry tart is really worth trying.”  


This was starting to get creepy, Chanyeol couldn’t have known about his love for strawberries. This guy is really something, always getting it right.  


“Well then, I guess I’ll take it. And a vanilla cappuccino, please.”  


Chanyeol gestured for the waitress to come and ordered for both of them, taking an iced Americano and chocolate brownie for himself. They made small talk until they order arrived. 

 

“So as I said we are going to date for real, which means we’ll be going on dates and generally spend a lot of time together. How comfortable are you with skinship?” – said Chanyeol with stoic expression as if they were discussing some business deal, not their relationship.  


“I don’t ...mind it? – it was more of a question than an answer and Chanyeol raised an eyebrow so Baekhyun rushed to clarify – “Depends on what you mean”  


“Couples touch each other a lot, put arms around each other, hug, hold hands, basically just keep physical contact” – Chanyeol gestured as if he was explaining some study about a physical phenomenon.  


“Not all couples” – Baekhyun interrupted, not really sure why he was being defensive. It’s not like he’s afraid of skinship, he’s actually a really clingy person.  


“That’s why I’m asking” – Chanyeol now was looking softly, his eyes shining with suspense. Baekhyun could feel warm spreading across his face.  


“It’s hard to tell, I’ve been told that I’m a pretty touchy person but it’s only if I’m close with someone...” – he stared off into space, trying to imagine how he would feel if Chanyeol touched him.  


“You can try, I guess.. I’m not going to push you but if I’ll feel awkward I’ll definitely say so.”  


Chanyeol nodded at that and they went on discussing other aspects of their relationship. Some time into the meeting they started talking more casually, getting comfortable with each other and just enjoying a nice afternoon together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve basically written the second part of the story and now my problem is how to get to that point, I’m too impatient for slow burn T.T  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it :)  
> Fun fact: Bird of Paradise is what I believe they used for Ko Ko Bop logo and I thought it would be fun to include that


	3. Up for the surprise

Baekhyun walked through the school gates feeling oddly relaxed despite it being a Monday morning. 

He usually dreads the beginning of the week, just like probably 99% of the human population, but this time he skipped though the hallway with light steps. He didn’t want to admit that the person he should be thankful for that was Chanyeol. 

No matter how stupid he thought the bet was, it kept his mind occupied and distracted him from his usual worries. You could say he fairly enjoyed himself during their meeting (because he definitely didn’t have _fun_ , oh no, that would be an exaggeration), even with the jokes about their height difference that were rudely thrown his way the previous afternoon.

In the end their conversation got sidetracked and they didn’t really discuss how their _“relationship”_ is supposed to work aside from the fact that they will be going on _dates_. They couldn’t even make any plans since Chanyeol only receives his schedule sometime before noon on Mondays.

If anyone noticed that Baekhyun has been in good mood, no one commented on it and he continued to be in his happy bubble throughout the day.

He was currently humming quietly and munching on his food while sitting in the cafeteria with three of his friends. Kyungsoo was calmly reading a book while Jongdae was animatedly telling a story that Minseok seemed to pay only half of his attention, sometimes slipping in some comments or reactions. 

However they all went quiet at the same time Baekhyun felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned around without standing and had to glance up to see a now familiar face looking at him softly.

“Hey Baek, I have a day off today so we can go to my apartment after school.” – Chanyeol said in his deep voice and Baekhyun didn’t actually registered the meaning for a few seconds, still being in daze from his daydreaming.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll wait at the parking.” – he answered with a small smile that was soon reciprocated by Chanyeol.

“ Okay, see you later”

And with a small wave Chanyeol left to join his friends, only now Baekhyun realised the taller was carrying a tray in his hands. He stared after him until a sharp tug on his shoulder brought his attention back to his friends.

“ What the fuck?! Why would you go to the rich kid’s house? Since when are you hanging out?” – Jongdae shouted right into his ear and Baekhyun was ready to snap at him when he realised what just happened. Right, this must look really weird since his friends have no idea what is going on.

“Err... we are kinda..yy..dating-“ – Baekhyun stuttered but was cut off by Jongdae.

“YOU WHAT?!” – his best friend yelled with all his voice’s capacity and at least half of students in the cafeteria turned in their direction. Baekhyun didn’t dare to look if Chanyeol was one of them.

“ Shut up before someone hears us!” – Baekhyun hissed and he could see the telltale signs that Jongdae is about to start his famous whining. He could really live without it.

“ But Baek, you were the one that said it’s so unfair that they have everything without working for it.” – Baekhyun internally cringed at his past self for giving any comments on that subject. He can already feel every one of them biting him in his butt later. Fate really likes to play with people’s lives.

“ Well... I may have not considered some things that I wasn’t aware of... Anyway, it doesn’t matter anymore since Chanyeol and I are dating” – he didn’t know from where his sudden confidence came but either way he was grateful. It would be more embarrassing if his voice cracked while he was saying that.

“ How did it even happen, I’ve never seen you together and you haven’t mention him even once.” – Minseok finally joined the conversation with curious expression, opposite to Jongdae that was now sulking quietly ( _for once_ ).

“ Remember how I had detention for the last two weeks. Guess what, Chanyeol was there too and it kinda.. just... happened”

“ You don’t sound very convincing” – Kyungsoo pointed out, apparently actually listening to their conversation despite his sight being glued to the book.

“ You are against me too, Soo”

“ I’m not against anyone, I’m just stating facts”

If Baekhyun doesn’t end the topic soon he will definitely spill everything, he’s not really a good liar.

“ The fact is that in the end who I’m dating is none of your business” 

“ Wow, getting defensive there, Byun. Fine, do what you want but don’t come back crying to us afterwards when he’ll play with you and leave you heartbroken” – Jongdae stuck out his tongue and Baekhyun just rolled his eyes. “ _Very mature_ ” he thought. There’s no need to worry about such things.

“ I won’t”

_

Baekhyun didn’t really know what to expect from Chanyeol’s apartment but it was definitely not _this_.

There was nothing wrong with the place itself, it was kept in a very modern style, white walls, wooden floor and small colourful accents here and there. The living room was spacious with a large TV screen with a speaker on each side and game consoles on the drawer that was probably filled with games. The wall opposite to the front door was covered in glass and the glimpse of the amazing view already took Baekhyun’s breath away. From the entrance he could also see a part of an open kitchen and a hallway. Typical expensive apartment on the 61st floor. 

Yeah, typical except for all the instruments that were lying around, not to mention the grand piano that Baekhyun noticed after passing the corner. 

If Baekhyun thought there might be any mess in the apartment, he would imagine some documents or some empty ramen cups but not THIS.

Chanyeol seemed to feel a little embarrassed about it so he hurried to grab the two guitars that were lying on the leather couch and propped them up against the wall. 

One of them was a black and white electric guitar, the shining instrument seemed like new but on the closer look you could see tiny scratches, the traces of frequent use. It meant Chanyeol must have really cared about it to maintain it so well. 

On the other side, the plain wooden acoustic guitar looked shabby in comparison, seemed like it was used for years and went through a lot of travel. On the side Baekhyun noticed a small inscription in black cursive letters but couldn’t make out what was written. Despite its state, it seemed to carry a special meaning to Chanyeol, Baekhyun could sense he was looking at something very personal and suddenly felt intimidated by the instrument. Instantaneously he became aware that they barely knew each other and he was looking at the object that held part of Chanyeol’s soul.

“Sorry, I...yym...played a little yesterday. Make yourself at home” – the owner of the apartment gestured to the couch and Baekhyun cautiously moved to take a seat.

“How about we order something, what do you want to eat?” – Chanyeol was scratching his neck, feeling a little awkward, seeing Baekhyun’s curious gaze scanning his living room. 

The smaller was still focused on checking out the apartment so he just said the first thing that came to his mind.

“Just jajangmyeon is fine”

 

After eating Chanyeol collected the used dishes to wash them in the kitchen. On his way back to Baekhyun he was suddenly reminded of something.

“Did you get the mail from Ms.Kim?”

That seemed to startle Baekhyun and he rapidly turned in the taller’s direction with wide eyes.

“W-what mail? – he asked cautiously, a bad feeling starting to rise in his mind.

“She sent it on Friday, we are supposed to take the test tomorrow-“

“TOMORROW” – Baekhyun yelled, swiftly trying to hoist his phone from his backpack to check the mail. Of course he didn’t check his mail since Friday, he had different things that occupied his mind and the possible mail from his teacher was the last one on the list.

And there it was, written clearly – the date of the test. But what concerned Baekhyun more was the thing written under the date.

“She’s gonna call our parents if we don’t get at least B!? What the hell!?” – Baekhyun could feel the blood living his veins and his skin paling on the thought of his parents finding out. If they connect the dates (which they definitely will), they’ll realise that he missed the test because he was helping _them_ , which will lead to them feeling guilty and going to his teacher to give him another chance and most likely saying that in front of the whole fucking school because fate apparently hates Baekhyun.

“What’s the big deal, the test won’t even be that hard”

Park fucking Chanyeol has the guts to just shrug in front of him when he was having a panic attack.

“Listen here, _Mr I-always-get-As-so-why-would-I-avoid-the-test_ ” – Baekhyun mockingly says and Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at the too long nickname (also how does Baekhyun even remember what he said basically three weeks ago) – “not everyone was blessed with your level of intelligence and I haven’t had the book in my hand for over a month, I didn’t even know we had a test that day!”

Chanyeol was very amused by the smaller’s behaviour, he was pouting cutely and scrounging his nose.

“I have the book so you can study now while I fix as some coffee. I bet you’ll need it soon”

 

Half an hour later Baekhyun fell, face first, on the book lying on the coffee table.

“I can’t do this anymore. I should start practising my best puppy eyes so Ms.Kim hopefully take pity and won’t call my parents”

Chanyeol chuckled at the miserable state of the guy lying in his living room. As expected, Baekhyun didn’t last long.

“I don’t know why it’s such a problem but if you really care that much I can help you with that” – Chanyeol offered, smiling gently at Baekhyun.

“There’s no hope, just leave me here to die”

“ _Wow, dramatic much_ ” – Chanyeol thought but there was no bite to it, he looked fondly at the smaller with a glint of playfulness in his gaze.

“Do you honestly think I have time to study the whole book? Or care enough to pay attention during class, especially since I’m absent half of the time?” 

Chanyeol scoffed at Baekhyun’s puzzled expression.

“I have some tricks to reduce the amount of time I spent on it to minimum.”

Baekhyun still looked bemused and Chanyeol decided to be straightforward.

“So do you want me to teach you or not?”

_

 

One week later Byun Baekhyun is seen running through the corridor enthusiastically waving the paper he had in his hand.

He spots Chanyeol, standing in his locker and yawning while taking out his books.

Baekhyun all but crushes into the poor unsuspecting guy and throws the paper in his face.

“Do you see that Park Chanyeol?! I got B-! B fucking -! Thankyouthankyouthankyou-“

Baekhyun hugs Chanyeol tightly and snuggles into his neck murmuring non-stop “thank you”s and Chanyeol is too stunned to react in any way. He had never seen Baekhyun care about a test so much. He tries to compose himself and pats the smaller’s back in acknowledgement.

“Wow, hey, calm down. I told you it won’t be so hard, you achieved that yourself Baek, I merely assisted you”

Baekhyun chuckled, detaching himself from Chanyeol, feeling more embarrassed as the excitement started to wear off.

“I would have failed miserably if it wasn’t for you, so really, thank you Chanyeol” 

Baekhyun looked at him with such sincerity that Chanyeol felt his heart melting at the sight.

“Okay, then we should celebrate our success” – Chanyeol said while fixing his shirt. The cheeky smile present once again on his face.

“Don’t you want to first check what you got?” – Baekhyun asked teasingly.

“You said it yourself, with my intelligence I don’t need to confirm my predictions”

“ _Cocky bastard_ ” – Baekhyun mumbled but Chanyeol still heard him.

“What did you say?” – amusement can be clearly heard in Chanyeol’s voice.

“Nothing, I was wondering how we’re going to celebrate” – Baekhyun bluffed knowing full well Chanyeol heard him anyway.

“Ah, I’m taking you out on a date” – Chanyeol said with a proud smile.

“Ehh? What a bummer, I thought it was supposed to be a reward” – Baekhyun said with low voice and pretended to be disappointed which earned him a smack on his neck.

“Oww”

_

 

Despite what he said, when Saturday came, Baekhyun was waiting excitedly for Chanyeol to arrive at his home. The place of the date was a surprise so Chanyeol was supposed to fetch him with his car. Baekhyun thought they may be going to some expensive restaurant or other extraordinary place that he will never be able to pay for but Chanyeol crushed that thought when he told Baekhyun to dress casually. After that he decided to stop trying to guess and just let himself be surprised.

Chanyeol arrived with his silver Mercedes G65, parking swiftly on Baekhyun’s driveway. 

Of course he would have a fucking Mercedes, why not with all his (or rather his parents) money. Baekhyun didn’t want to admit that he felt bitter. He loved his family and their shop and wouldn’t trade them for anything. But it didn’t stop him from feeling envious of Chanyeol’s careless style of living.

Anyway, the feeling faded away as soon as Chanyeol got out of his car. Again, the taller had his hair loosely falling on his forehead in fluffy curls, opposite to his usually styled hair in school and Baekhyun decided it is definitely his favourite hairstyle on Chanyeol. The latter was also wearing a hoodie and dark denim shorts with Balenciaga shoes. He looked casual and comfy but also _really good_. 

Baekhyun looked at his plain t-shirt and jeans and shrugged. Not everybody can look like a fucking god in everything. At least it wasn’t one of these days when his hair decide to live their own life not the way he wanted them to.

 

“You don’t seem happy to see me, should I go back?” – Chanyeol asked jokingly. He has no intention to leave without Baekhyun.

“Why would I be happy to see you? Let’s just go, this surprise better be worth my time.” – Baekhyun passes by Chanyeol, bumping into his shoulder intentionally.

“Oww, how can you say this to your own boyfriend, Baek. You hurt me so much” – Chanyeol dramatically puts his hand on his chest where the heart is and scrunches his face imitating pained expression. Baekhyun wants to laugh because he looks ridiculous but he can’t give the guy satisfaction.

“Stop acting and get your ass over here or I’ll leave without you”

 

The playful atmosphere remains throughout the drive and at some point Chanyeol is laughing historically at Baekhyun’s impersonation of the famous movie scene that he accidentally pushes the horn and the loud noise startles the both of them (also gains them a few glares from the drivers passing but they pay no attention to it and laugh it off).

 

They arrive at the tall skyscraper covered in glass and walk into the lobby. Baekhyun is a little lost, the building looks very fancy and high-class and he feels completely underdressed. What did the stupid Chanyeol thought telling him to dress casually and then taking him here? Is this some kind of prank?

But the receptionist seems to pay no mind to that as the young woman smiles at Chanyeol when he nods in greetings. 

Baekhyun will never admit it but he hides a little behind Chanyeol to lessen how uncomfortable he feels.

Chanyeol chats for some time with the lady while Baekhyun looks around. The lobby sure was grand and very modern. Round chandeliers with metallic gleam created a geometric composition in air that matched the wall with protruding geometric shapes. The waiting area consisted of leather sofas and glass coffee tables, decorated with green plants and abstract paintings.

His state of awe was broken by Chanyeol calling to follow him to the elevator. Baekhyun quickly skipped inside but was surprised again when rather than going up, Chanyeol chose to go five floors down.

“Are you planning on kidnapping and hiding me in your basement or something?” 

“Very funny, Byun. How long did you have to think to come up with that idea?” – before Baekhyun could bite back, Chanyeol spoke again – “No, I’m not planning to kidnap you. We’re just going to one of my favourite places”

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow with scepticism but the elevator door opened at that moment and he was welcomed by the amazing view. There was no mistaking what this place was, with all the flushing lights and sounds.

They were at _arcade_. 

Of course Chanyeol would get this right too, Baekhyun already gave up on figuring out how the guy did it, he decided to just enjoy himself. And he definitely _will_.

Since he was young Baekhyun loved playing games. He wasn’t much of the outdoors’ kid so whenever he wasn’t at the flower shop or sketching something in his sketchbook, he would be found playing, preferably with Jongdae and Minseok, on the couch in one of their houses. Not to be conceited but he was confident in his skill. No one has ever beaten him at games.

 

He may have to take that back because HOW THE FUCK WAS CHANYEOL SO GOOD AT ALL OF THAT?

He can give up all the fetching games or timing games or the basketball during which he was terribly teased by the smug giant when he kept missing the basket.

“ _Try beating me when you grow a little, midget_ ”

Chanyeol laughed in his face and it was infuriating.

But he absolutely can’t forgive himself for losing in the shooting and fighting games. He was raging that even Chanyeol stopped his mocking to calm him down.

“Hey, don’t take it to yourself, your score still beat the record, it’s just that mine was higher” 

That earned Chanyeol a well deserved slap on the back of his head but the taller just laughed at the fuming Baekhyun.

“You’re playing with the son of a game developer, what did you expect?”

And indeed, why did Baekhyun expect that _Mr Perfect_ would be any less perfect at something his father earn his fortune with. 

 

They played a few more rounds and when Baekhyun had enough of losing he decided to just do something he enjoys without feeling competitive.

“Let’s go to the dance machine” – he said excitedly, already standing up and heading in the direction without waiting for the guy.

“Um, nope. We’re not going.”

Baekhyun halted his steps looking quizzically at Chanyeol as his voice sounded oddly timid but at the same time with strong finality. However this time Baekhyun won’t give up so easily.

“Why not, we played every game except that” – he whines, hoping Chanyeol won’t be able to resist him.

“You’re wrong, I’m sure there are some left”

“But they’re boring ~ Let’s go you stubborn giant” – Baekhyun puts all his strength to push Chanyeol to the machine. “ _What’s this guy’s problem, it’s just a game_ ”. 

 

Later Baekhyun finds out what the problem was

CHANYEOL

CAN’T

DANCE

It’s not only that he can’t follow the fast sequence. The amount of time he tripped over his own legs has Baekhyun bent in half and laughing his ass off for the good half an hour after they stopped playing in consideration for Chanyeol’s health and safety. His stomach hurts so much he may actually wake up with abs tomorrow.

Baekhyun still laughs at Chanyeol when they grab dinner together and it’s Chanyeol’s turn to pout and sulk cutely at being teased by the smaller.

But Baekhyun can’t help it.

That was the dorkiest thing he had seen in his whole life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The slow burn in tags is just to trick you, I don’t think I can do this, I’m a sucker for fluff even in my own fic  
> Btw  
> Stay tuned for more dorky Chanyeol because he has to stop being so perfect all the time  
> Fun fact: I actually checked if a residential building can have 61 floors since it seemed unrealistic but it can have even more wtf


	4. If I'm yours then you're mine

Recently Chanyeol was in much better mood.

Even if the amount of work he had to do was the same or maybe even more. Even if the school year was in full blow and there was more than possible homework to finish. Even if his mum was nagging him more than usually. Even if he became responsible for the very important deal that could affect the whole company.

Despite all that Chanyeol was radiating with happiness.

And knowing Chanyeol for as long as they did, his friends naturally became suspicious.

It’s not like Chanyeol being happy was something unusual. He was known as the happy virus since childhood, so his friends were already used to that. They practically grew up together. 

Chanyeol, Sehun and Junmyeon were neighbours basically since birth. All their families were rich Korean businessmen so they all had houses, or rather mansions, in the most expensive part of Gangnam. Their parents knew each other well, being friends for a long time even before the boys were born so they naturally spent a lot of time playing together as kids, which developed into the strong friendship they have now.

Junmyeon, even when he was still a kid, acted more mature than the other two (which wasn’t really hard to do) so he always took care of them and made sure they weren’t doing anything _too_ stupid.

On the other hand Chanyeol and Sehun were just two careless, playful kids that didn’t understand the word _‘dangerous’_. They would go running around, often playing pranks on the grumpy ajusshi leaving at the end of the street and then come back in the late afternoon covered from head to toes in dirt. 

Sehun’s mum would scold them but Chanyeol’s mum, being the woman he got his soft heart from, would then call them for some cookies and milk, always giving an extra portion to Myeonnie to show her gratitude, knowing full well whatever the boys did would end much worse without his intervention. 

When Chanyeol was about 7 years old, new family moved in to the mansion opposite to his. The family apparently owned a few residential buildings in China and was starting to expand their properties to Korea. The little Chanyeol had no idea who they were but he heard they were the owners of the buildings that his dad had a few arcades in and that was the reason why the Parks invited them for the welcome dinner in their residence. Chanyeol had to dress nicely, in white shirt and adorable little bowtie to look elegant, while his sister put on a cute but stylish dress with lace elements. With the best smiles on their faces the Park siblings greeted the Wu family standing in the door with shy tall boy clutching tightly to his mother’s hand.

And that was how Chanyeol met his future best friend, the silly hyung that he would always make fun of but at the same time care deeply about and appreciate every moment they spent together.

Chanyeol was an enthusiastic kid so he had no problem with the fact that Yifan barely spoke any Korean and he knew none of Chinese. That didn’t stop him from bubbling about foolish things he did and dragging the poor boy with him _everywhere_.

But Kris didn’t really mind, he also grew fond of the weird kid that talked too much and moved too much but had a pure, kind heart, every emotion showing in his eyes.

Their bond was put to the test when five years later Yifan had to suddenly return to China. For over a year the boys couldn’t see each other and during that time Sehun brought a new addition to their group of friends.

His mother, despite loving him very much was tired of her over energetic child releasing all his pent up enthusiasm inside the house (and destroying her precious artefacts displayed as decorations) so she registered him into dance classes which proved to be a great idea. Sehun not only came back too tired to play around, he also turned out to be a natural dancer with big talent and potential. And he met a boy with the same talent and of the same age so the first thing he did was bring the new friend home.

Jongin quickly fit in the group, as if he was always part of it. Chanyeol absolutely adored his new dongsaeng and was spoiling him left and right. Jongin was shy but he didn’t have a choice but to warm up fast when he was showered with so much affection.

Chanyeol wondered if that was how Kris or Junmyeon felt when they were treating _him_ as the little brother. Of course, he had Sehun before but they grew up together so he felt more like a friend than a dongsaeng (not to mention the brat didn’t show him even a little bit of respect his _hyung_ status deserved).

On the days he had thoughts like this, he would call Kris and talk a little longer than usual about how much he missed him.

Finally, when Yifan returned, he didn’t come back alone. A tall boy with dark shades around his eyes came with him to study martial arts in Korea. At the beginning his glare was intimidating but Chanyeol was too happy about his favourite hyung’s comeback that after throwing himself at Kris and hugging the life out of him, he just embraced the younger boy welcoming him with enthusiasm. Tao was very confused at that moment and shrieked at the tight hold, seeking help in the eyes of the only person he knew. But Kris being Kris just shrugged and let out an amused chuckle going to greet his other friends.

Despite Tao being a year older, he fit perfectly in the maknae line with his immature (as Sehun mockingly called _’girly’_ ) personality. He and Sehun would always bicker and when one of them took it too far, Tao would seek comfort with Yifan, when a worried Junmyeon dutifully scolded Sehun for his behaviour. Chanyeol and Jongin only laughed at them, knowing that the teasing would start again in a moment. 

 

And now, since the year Chanyeol passed 16 years, they were all living in the apartment building that belonged to Yifan’s family. Chanyeol lived at the 61st floor, alone in his apartment with one room converted into a small recording studio. Seven floors higher, Kris and Tao were sharing an apartment as the younger’s parents were still worried about him living on his own in the foreign country. Sehun and Junmyeon lived in the apartment opposite to each other on the 14th floor so Suho could (literally) fulfil his role as the youngest guardian. Kai was living only two floors higher so Sehun would often be found lazing around on his couch rather than his own.

So not only knowing each other for _years_ but also practically living together, Chanyeol’s friends knew that nothing big has happened recently to make him _this_ happy.

Or has it?

_  


 

Since their little date at arcade, Baekhyun and Chanyeol have been going out every Saturday, whether it would be a date at an amusement park or simply hanging out in the cafe. They were especially fond of that lovely cafe where they’ve met weeks ago.

Consequently, since they’ve been hanging out with each other, they didn’t have time for parties or sometimes even meeting with their friends.

Jongdae was constantly whining how now that Baekhyun has a boyfriend, he forgot about his best friend but Baekhyun only laughed at him and told him to stop being so dramatic.

 

_They weren’t even real boyfriends._

 

If that was the case then why did he feel so irritated looking at a bunch of girls in _too_ short skirts clinging to Chanyeol that was standing with half-full tray still in the line at the counter.

Even if the taller’s expression was clearly bored and he mostly ignored the pestering girls, Baekhyun still couldn’t help but feel anger bubbling inside him.

He tried to hear what they were saying over the usual loud noise of the cafeteria. He could only distinguish a few words but it was enough for him to deduce what was their problem.

Last Saturday, when he and Chanyeol were lazing around in the latter’s apartment and playing video games, there apparently was some party going on where half of the school was present.

And a few weeks ago they would had been present too.

But since the beginning of the bet, both of them lost track of such events, since every Saturday was reserved for their little dates.

And now a bunch of _stupid girls_ (yes, Baekhyun was petty like that) was whining to Chanyeol about his absence. They probably just wanted to get into his pants during that party.

Baekhyun would be lying if he said that Chanyeol ignoring them didn’t give him a feeling of satisfaction but he was still annoyed at the girls. Even if he didn’t pay them much attention, Chanyeol still let them touch him all over and cling to him.

If they’re doing this dating thing for real, he should belong to Baekhyun. And no one touches Baekhyun’s possessions like _that_.

 

_“Park Chanyeol will definitely not go around like a single man when he’s the one that came up with the whole bet”_

_

 

“Excuse me” 

Baekhyun pushed through the girls to get to Chanyeol. Some of them thrown him an annoyed glare, some looking more confused than irritated as Baekhyun usually avoided contact with anybody other than his friends at school. The only place you could talk to him was a party and he had to be more on the drunk part to actually respond something less rude than _”fuck off”_. 

They didn’t have much time to wonder about his unusual behaviour as he suddenly pulled Chanyeol by the collar and crushed his lips with the taller’s. He kissed him deeply, not waiting for the guy to realise what is happening. His grip on Chanyeol’s shirt tightened as he poured his whole frustration into the kiss with his eyes shut tightly.

On the contrary, Chanyeol’s eyes widened in shock. He had no idea what suddenly came over Baekhyun but regardless he quickly composed himself and melted into the kiss. Baekhyun’s lips felt so soft against his that he forgot about everything and focused on the passionate but still somehow tender movement of their lips.

The kiss ended way too quickly and Chanyeol was still in daze when Baekhyun pulled away. Deciding that _that_ may have not been enough, the latter reached behind him to take a bottle of orange juice from the counter. He turned to look at the lady behind it and said, loud enough so everybody in the cafeteria could hear him.

“Add this to Channie’s bill” – the tone of his voice was overly sweet, emphasising the cringy nickname .

He spared one last glance at Chanyeol’s bewildered expression and sent him a satisfied smirk with a wink. Then he turned around and walked to his table while the whole student body remained silent in shock before breaking in a wave of whispers.

The girls were especially shocked and scandalized as the whole scene played right in front of their eyes

“Who does he think he is?” – one of the girls said with irritation. All their eyes followed Baekhyun’s every move as he nonchalantly sat back at his table, resuming eating his lunch.

“My boyfriend” – Chanyeol said dreamily with a stupid smile on his face that didn’t disappear even when he sat at the table with his friends and the warm feeling in his chest stayed with him for much longer.

_

 

“What the fuck are you thinking, Chanyeol? Are you really dating that Byun kid?!”

They were in Chanyeol’s apartment now, Kris came straight to his door when Chanyeol came back home from the office. He was tired and definitely not in the mood to talk about it, especially with Kris’ scornful tone.

“Yes, Kris, I am. What is it to you?” – Chanyeol answered in the most annoyed voice he could muster to send his best friend a clear message that it’s none of his goddamn business.

“You really think aunt and uncle will let you do that? They need a heir Chanyeol and as far as I know Baekhyun can’t give you that” – Kris shot back, much louder, showing that he’s not backing down.

Chanyeol internally scoffed at that.

“They want me to be _happy_ , they won’t make us break up just for that, they’re not like _your_ parents” 

Chanyeol was angry and hadn’t thought it through before the harsh words left his mouth. He realised that quickly when shock flicked through Kris’ expression before it turned stern, hurt clear in his eyes so Chanyeol hasten to explain himself.

“You know I didn’t mean it that way Kris. I, out of all people, know full well how much you’ve been struggling with your parents introducing so many girls from wealthy families so you can quickly choose a wife. But my situation is different, I have a _sister_. On top of that, Yoora already has a fiancé and her children would be the first in order anyway so I would actually do my family a favour and avoid possible conflicts about inheritance.” – Chanyeol added a playful smile at the end seeing how Kris’ expression softened, now only the usual sadness remaining in his eyes.

Chanyeol hated it.

Seeing his best friend going through so much unnecessary things that shouldn’t be more important than his happiness. He hated seeing it. He hated that he couldn’t do anything about it other than say empty words of comfort that neither of them believed. 

Chanyeol was lucky that his family wasn’t so strict, they were rather the opposite. No one even batted an eyelash when he announced his sexuality. He remembers being so nervous about it and getting only a shrug in return and some teasing from his sister of how he would now be stealing her boyfriends so she should be careful.

It’s also not like they don’t care about him, even though someone could easily get that impression since they don’t limit him in any way. There is just a lot of mutual trust between them. Unlike many rich parents, the Parks spent a lot of time with their children and they all have a very close relationship. That is also one of the reason why they became the favourite aunt and uncle in Chanyeol’s group of friends. They radiated warmth and were always very welcoming, it was impossible to not fall for the loving couple.

“Your family is really amazing” – Kris said with the same sadness still lingering and Chanyeol agreed with him. He felt bad for him.

“Yours is too, they want you to be happy, really, they just chose the wrong way to achieve that.”

Chanyeol gave him a reassuring smile and Kris shot him a faint smile on his own, expressing his gratitude for his friend’s attempt in comforting him. Not that it could ever actually work, but he was still glad that he even tried to say anything to make him feel better.

But of course this idiot of a best friend had to ruin the soothing atmosphere that has arisen after the exchange.

“Where is Tao anyway, don’t you have to put him to bed by now?~~”

The smirk on Chanyeol’s lips irritated him to no end but he refused to give his best friend the reaction he wanted. Instead, maintaining his cool image, he calmly answered.

“He’s probably partying with Sehun at some high-fashion show after party and hooking up with models.”

Chanyeol gave him a quazzical look and he basically had written all over his face the teasing question _”Jealous much?”_

But thankfully he refrained from saying it out loud, instead settling with making fun of his _”precious”_ dongsaeng to not trigger Kris more.

“I don’t think so, Sehun has been pretty busy with Junmyeon lately, who would have thought he was such an obedient and hard-working kid.” – the glint of mischief in Chanyeol’s eyes and the mocking tone was obvious.

“Huh? What’s up with that?” – Kris mumbled, more to himself than to Chanyeol, but decided to not ponder about it.

“Anyway, I’ll get going. See you.”

He unconsciously started worrying what is Tao actually doing. When he went to this kind of events, there at least was security and cameras everywhere so he didn’t have to be anxious about his safety.

“Yeah, go take care of your baby boy, daddy~”

Chanyeol singsonged to Yifan’s retreating back and the latter stopped in his track and turned around with annoyed expression and exasperated scowl. 

“Chanyeol, I swear I fucking hate you”

“No, you love me ~~ Now, don’t make him wait”

And with that Chanyeol pushed him out of his apartment with an amused smirk and Kris headed to the higher floor where his and Tao’s apartment was, feeling like any kind of arguing was pointless in this situation.

He opened the door not expecting to see any lights on but the TV was playing some documentary about pandas with low volume and when he came closer to the couch, he saw a curled figure laying and snoring softly with phone in one hand and the other clutching the blanket loosely thrown over the sleeping body. 

Observing the figure, he let a sad smile ghost over his lips.

 

_

 

“Ughh, why did I do that?~”

Baekhyun groaned as he laid on the counter of his parents flower shop, thinking about today’s event.

It wasn’t unusual to see Baekhyun in the shop, he often came after school to help his parents, but usually he was all smiles and sunshine, since he loved spending time there.

“I’m a fucking idiot”

Another groan and the other person present in the room couldn’t take it anymore.

“We established that a long time ago. What did you do this time?” – a bored tone startled Baekhyun from his little pity party. He looked up and let out a pathetic wail.

“Hyung~, please just kill me so I can have a good excuse to never show up at school again”

Luhan – a part-timer at the Byun’s flower shop - looked at Baekhyun with pity and shook his head. Baekhyun tended to be overly dramatic about the smallest things and after working in the shop for over half a year he should be already used to it, but sometimes it still amused him so he decided to entertain the poor kid.

“Just tell me what happened, it can’t be _that_ bad.”

Luhan came closer to Baekhyun and gave him a comforting hug to encourage him to spill everything.

“What was I thinking, really? I kissed him in front of the entire school!”

Baekhyun buried his head in his arms again and let out another pitiful groan.

However, the mention of the kiss picked Luhan’s interest so he pestered the younger until he told him the whole story with details.

Since Luhan didn’t go to their school and rarely had contact with any of his friends, Baekhyun poured out everything, starting from detention and the cursed bet, though the little dates, to his current situation.

He didn’t have any feelings for Chanyeol, even if Luhan did suggest that at one point, he was sure of it. But it didn’t mean he hasn’t considered Chanyeol as a friend and this sudden possessiveness, that he felt at that moment, scared him. He’s never felt like that and he couldn’t believe something as a simple touch could trigger it. Now that he looked at his behaviour from perspective (even if it’s only been a few hours), it was something completely unusual and unfamiliar for him.

Avoiding Chanyeol for the rest of the day was easy since he had a meeting this afternoon. Baekhyun was glad since he’s not sure how to confront him after what happened. 

He could only hope for everything to somehow work out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter was boring, I thought it was time to give you some background and introduce the characters more~~
> 
> Anyway  
> Chanyeol staying up all night to make songs is canon! He did a live in his studio at 2 am! That’s all I needed in my life T.T  
> I know it was some time ago already but I have no one to rant about it to so please deal with me :’)  
> Go listen to Chanyeol’s soundcloud, he finally posted “Hand”, leave a nice comment on ig~~  
> soundcloud.com/realpcysc
> 
> Lastly  
> Happy birthday Chen! <3  
> There’s not much of Jongdae in this story (at least yet, who knows) but I did a fanart for him which is why I didn’t update last week bc I was working on it  
> You can check it out on my twitter if you want @AnnaMaryBlue_


	5. I don't miss you

Baekhyun couldn’t sleep for the most of the night so he tiredly dragged himself to school in the morning. He went straight to his locker trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone on the way. He could hear the whispers and giggling when he passed through the corridor but he pretended to ignore it. His notifications on twitter were blowing up the previous day and he muted them, too afraid to check what people were writing about his stupid action.

Arriving at his locker, he practically hid inside it, taking way too much time to find the book he needed for the lesson. When he was spacing out a pair of muscular arms slid around his waist causing him to jump slightly in surprise. He immediately recognised the strong scent of the other’s perfumes and froze in place.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

The deep chuckle he got in response sent shivers down his spine.

“Is that how you greet your lovely boyfriend~? Where is my morning kiss~?

Baekhyun could feel the pout on Chanyeol’s lips that were on his neck and that wasn’t helping his mind to think clearly. He could only muster a weak “Stop it idiot”. Chanyeol snuggled more into his neck and whispered right into his ear

“Thanks to you, now the whole school know we’re dating, what would they think if I had to beg my own boyfriend for a simple kiss~~”

Baekhyun could feel the heat slowly creeping to his cheeks but he desperately didn’t want to give Chanyeol the satisfaction of making him flustered. Even though, he could only let out a pathetic wail.

“You’re stupid”

Chanyeol released a bubble laugh, almost like a giggle, but the word wouldn’t suit the rich sound that came out of his mouth. The taller put his lips directly on Baekhyun’s earlobe so the latter could feel their movement when he spoke.

“The kiss was only yesterday but there is already a lot of rumours about us~ Have you heard, apparently we have adventurous kinky sex every night~”

Chanyeol bit his ear and Baekhyun’s face became crimson red at all the images that flashed through his mind combined with Chanyeol’s honey deep voice and the sensation of his lips. He was getting really close to just punching the taller and escaping for the rest of the day. But Chanyeol continued his tempting words.

“Just kiss me, you have nothing to lose, everybody already think we did far worse~”

Baekhyun was at the edge of losing the last bit of control he still had. He could feel Chanyeol’s lips forming his famous cocky smirk. That couldn’t end well.

“Unless you’re afraid you’re gonna like it too much”

Baekhyun was done with Chanyeol’s bullshit, he turned around in a split second and reached for the taller’s neck, pulling him forward and simultaneously stepping on his tiptoes to seal their lips together. Hard.

Chanyeol was caught off guard but not long till he responded just as passionately, causing Baekhyun’s back to hit the locker and the latter moaned at the sweet pain it created. He tightened his grip on the taller’s neck to bring him impossibly close, their bodies glued to each other as they drown in their own world, detached from the surroundings.

That is, until a loud whistle startled them from kissing and the obnoxious voice of Baekhyun’s best friend greeted them.

“So the rumours about you were true after all”

Baekhyun was about to deny everything but then in the corner of his eye he saw Chanyeol grinning mischievously and wiggling his eyebrows like an idiot.

This time, Baekhyun punched him for real.

 

_

 

“Mr Park, your flight is tomorrow at 5:40am. Please try to not be late this time.”

Chanyeol’s assistant, or rather his father’s former assistant, Mrs Lee informed him. Mrs Lee has worked in the company since the very beginning and probably knew more about it than the actual CEO. She was very hard-working and responsible, Chanyeol’s father treasured her as an employee and that’s why the young heir felt honoured to have her as his assistant. It showed how serious his father was about handing the company to him in the future and that he wants him to learn from the best. The fact that Chanyeol knew Mrs Lee since a young age as he visited his father at work made their cooperation more enjoyable. She knew all about his little habits and the troubles he caused in the past. Being late for his flight being one of them.

“That was only one time. And father didn’t need to use his connections to delay the flight for me, I could’ve just taken the next one like a normal person”

Chanyeol still remember how embarrassed he was stepping into the business class and getting stinky and annoyed stares from other passengers. It wasn’t even he’s fault that there was a car accident on his way causing him to arrive late neither was it his idea to call the owner of the airport and stop the plane from leaving on time. Actions like this were the reason people had bad opinions about rich influential people like his family.

“The meeting was very important so it’s understandable but I advise you to not test it this time, your father has a lot of worries lately”

Mrs Lee looked genuinely concerned and Chanyeol knew she really was, she cared about all members of the Park family.

“I’ll make sure to come back with good news then”

Chanyeol flashed his famous grin to cheer her up which resulted in a soft smile replacing the frown on her face.

“You’ve really matured a lot, I still remember the little Chanyeollie hiding under Mr Park’s desk playing with his iron man figurines”

She let out a joyous chuckle and her eyes sparkled with fondness. Mrs Lee was one of the few employees that witnessed Chanyeol’s childhood days and still worked in the company. All of them were like family for the boy so even when he started his job he asked them to keep addressing him by his first name. Since they were rather hesitant towards the idea he’d requested for them to use it at least until he’ll become the actual CEO. Still, whenever they had formal meetings and discussions they would address him as Mr Park to show their respect for his serious effort put into improving the company.

“Ah, auntie, stop embarrassing me, I’m not five anymore”

“I know, I know, but you were so adorable then”

Not being able to stop the blush creeping on his cheeks from the teasing Chanyeol decided to cut the discussion and divert the topic to the more urgent subject.

“Please send me the detailed schedule of the meetings and the localisation of my accommodation through mail”

“Of course, Mr Park. Is there anything else?”

Mrs Lee immediately changed the tone of her voice and her expression turned more serious.

“No, you can leave. It’s already so late, your husband must be worried, go back home.”

“Thank you, Chanyeol. You too, don’t overwork yourself”

Chanyeol just smiled in response, they both knew he won’t be leaving the office for the next few hours but he appreciated the care. Mrs Lee reciprocated the smile and quietly left the room. 

Chanyeol’s phone lit up to show a new message. That reminded him that he should inform a certain someone about this sudden leave.

 

_ 

 

Baekhyun woke up being more restless than usually, Chanyeol really messed up his sleeping schedule. He stayed late thinking how he’s going to survive the next week with Chanyeol being on business trip in Japan.

Not like he will miss the taller or something ridiculous like that but now that the whole school knows about their relationship there is bound to be an increase in the rumours concerning Chanyeol’s sudden absence. And as a consequence Baekhyun will definitely be a part of those rumours. He’s really cursing the day he agreed to all of that, bringing chaos into his peaceful life in the form of Park Chanyeol.

He is currently messing the food on his plate in the cafeteria, sitting for the first time in a while with all members of his group of friends.

Baekhyun and Jongdae met in the second year of middle school when they ended up in the same class. As the loudest students in class and probably even in the whole school they got along well from the beginning. It was absolute torture for their teachers but the boys paid no attention. Spending time with Jongdae automatically meant getting acquainted with Minseok, Jongdae's two years older neighbour and best friend. Baekhyun joined the childhood friends duo naturally even though they were probably the only people on the planet that could make him feel like a third wheel sometimes. But that was no longer a problem when their group gained another member. Do Kyungsoo, a shy and quiet dongsaeng with a deadly glare that moved to the house next to Baekhyun's and went to the same middle school. Baekhyun thought it was creepy how the kid walked home two steps behind him so one day he turned around, startling the poor boy that was deep in his thoughts and practically forced him to have a conversation. He tried his best to make the grumpy boy laugh, telling the most silly jokes he could think of. Finally, after a month of trying, Kyungsoo's demeanour broke and he let out a deep chuckle that made Baekhyun impossibly proud. Gradually, he learned how caring and kind the boy actually was, despite his constant complaints and nagging.

Baekhyun met Yixing, the transfer student from China in their current high school in a rather unconventional circumstances. A boy with dark hair and the deepest dimples Baekhyun had ever seen was giving... 

...free butt pats. Any normal student just looked at him with a flustered, bewildered or even disgusted face but Baekhyun being the touchy person he is just returned the favour with his famous rectangular smile. Little did he know it was the beginning of a weird but beautiful friendship. And just how they started, Yixing was currently massaging Baekhyun's tight under the table while Baekhyun clung to his arm with head laying on the older's broad shoulder. It was hard to believe they never went further than this but not many people knew that Yixing actually had a girlfriend from the all-girls school in the city.

However, the movement of Yixing’s hand suddenly stopped and he looked past Baekhyun, raising said hand to wave at someone approaching their table. This confused the younger so he turned his head in the direction of the person just to see no other than their school president, one of Chanyeol’s rich friends, slowly walking towards them with a shy smile on his face, making him look awkward and stiff.

“Myeonnie! How are you doing?” - Yixing greeted the other a little too loud making him wince slightly.

“Ah..I’m fine, thanks. I’m actually here to ask you guys for a favour...”

That obviously picked Baekhyun’s interest.

“What kind of favour?”

His voice was nothing but curious for now but Junmyeon still looked clearly uncomfortable, the opposite of the usually serious and confident president. 

“You see, since you’re now Chanyeol’s boyfriend I thought it would be okay if I ask. But feel free to reject me if you don’t want to do it.”

Baekhyun started getting suspicious because of Junmyeon’s weird behaviour. _What is this guy talking about?_ So he answered with cautious, maybe a little harsh tone.

“Get to the point Mr President”

His cold stare clearly startled Junmyeon (again) and he hesitated even more but when his eyes shifted to look at Yixing who had a warm smile on his face encouraging him to say what was on his mind, he took a deep breath, calming himself before saying

“There is an assembly in 2 days and I need people to help with preparing the gym hall, bringing chairs, setting up speakers and stuff. Everybody in student council is busy right now and I don’t have anybody to ask about it.”

Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows when he was reminded about a certain shorter friend that was currently ignoring his surrounding, deep into reading.

“I mean, I don’t mind helping but why are YOU the one asking us that? Isn’t Kyungsoo a part of student council too?”

Hearing his name, the guy raised his head looking at Baekhyun with blank expression. The other two that previously paid no mind to the conversation going on right beside them also moved their attention to their quiet friend. 

Junmyeon was stuttering, trying to come up with an answer to the question that was directed to him despite none of the guys actually expecting the answer from _him_. Kyungsoo interrupted his struggling

“There’s no point asking you if I know you won’t be of much help anyway”

“Excuse me?! We’re plenty helpful” – offended, Baekhyun turned to Junmyeon smiling a little too sweetly – “When should we start?”

 

_

 

Baekhyun was surprised to see that all Chanyeol’s friends were already in the hall when they arrived. He looked expectantly at Junmyeon and the president sent him a friendly smile.

“I thought you didn’t have anyone to help and that’s why you asked us”

Junmyeon blushed a little, understanding the underlying accusation but his smile didn’t falter.

“It’s true, when I asked you there was no one willing to help, they all told me they were busy and Kris didn’t even bother to come up with a sensible excuse” – while saying that Junmyeon glared at the tallest guy in the room and Baekhyun was sure he just cursed him in his mind. But that still didn’t answer his actual question.

“So why are they here now?”

The president giggled at that, bringing his hand up to slightly cover his lips while he looked fondly at his group of friends.

“They all suddenly had plenty of free time when I said Baekhyun and his friends will be there”

“So I’m the attraction of this event?” – Baekhyun said with his usual mischievous tone, feigning offence with a playful glint in his eyes. Junmyeon quickly caught on his joke and let out an amused chuckle.

“Yeah, something like that. Although, I didn’t know they will be _this_ eager.”

“What can I say, no one can resist my charm~”

“That’s for sure, if even Chanyeol fell for it”

Baekhyun felt a bang in his chest at the suggestion of Chanyeol being in love with him but he quickly reminded himself that they are just faking it so of course it’s not true. Baekhyun pretended he didn’t feel disappointed at that moment.

 

_

 

“Okay, thank you all for coming, I’m really grateful that you found the time. Except you Kris, no one needs you here”

“Hey, what did I-“

“Shh. Now, the guys know the gist so you can ask them if you’re not sure about something or you can come to me and I’ll explain. I suggest we should split into groups to be more efficient. Tao and Sehun, take Yixing and Minseok and show them where to get the chairs. Kyungsoo, Jongin, Kris and Jongdae, bring the speakers and other stuff. Baekhyun will help me with organising things here.”

“Why is Baekhyun staying with you, we want to get to know him too~”

The group whined together but Junmyeon tsked at them, not allowing any discussion.

“Shut up and get to work”

 

_

 

“They seem to really know what they’re doing despite rejecting you at the beginning”

Baekhyun was, as planned, settings things up with Junmyeon and observing their friends, particularly Chanyeol’s friends, with curiosity. The taller sometimes talked about them just how Baekhyun would mention something about his friends from time to time but they generally talked about their own interests and concerns. There was a lot of rumours going around about _”the rich kids”_ but he didn’t feel like bringing them up in a conversation would be an appropriate thing to do. Still, it would be a lie to say he hasn’t started to be curious after getting to know Chanyeol.

“They always come to help before the events so of course they know”

Junmyeon’s answer puzzled him, hasn’t he just complained how they were making ridiculous excuses?

“Huh? Then why didn’t they want to come this time?”

“Usually, it’s Chan that volunteers to help and brings them all with him but since he’s not here, there was no one who could convince them, they never listen to _me_. But as expected, Chanyeol’s boyfriend would be able to do the trick.”

Junmyeon looked happy saying that last sentence. _Too_ happy. But Baekhyun just let it go as something else didn’t add up in this situation.

“Chanyeol volunteers? Doesn’t he already have a lot of work at the company? How does he find the time for it?”

Since the beginning of the bet, Baekhyun and Chanyeol were texting practically every day and Baekhyun always found Chanyeol’s little complain sessions ~~adorable~~ annoying. But suddenly he has time to volunteer when he couldn’t even take Baekhyun for ice creams when he was craving them? No, Baekhyun was not jealous and the weird unpleasant bang in his chest definitely meant nothing. _Chanyeol can do whatever he wants, why would I care._ Baekhyun unconsciously pouted at his thoughts and Junmyeon gave him a funny look.

“Of course you would know about the company... but yeah, he does work a lot but that has never stopped him from helping me or generally anyone from our group whenever we need it. He’s a very sweet person, looking at the others, he’s definitely the least spoiled one from us”

The president laughed at that and Baekhyun supposed he was referring to the general opinion Chanyeol’s group of friends had in their school. Even though Baekhyun’s group had their fair share of rumours about them, he was still guilty of believing some of the gossips about the others.

They both glanced at their two groups of friends interacting together, cracking jokes and conversing cheerfully. They got along so well despite it being their first interaction. Junmyeon’s next words broke Baekhyun from his thoughts.

“It’s a big relief that I was just scared for nothing”

Baekhyun once again was left perplexed at the other’s mysterious but overall random statement.

“What do you mean?”

“You and Chanyeol are dating now so it’s natural your friends will sooner or later interact. But if they didn’t get along that would definitely affect your relationship so I hoped that wouldn’t happen. I’m glad they’re so comfortable with each other already. We can come off as a little snobby and conceited but none of the guys is actually like that, it’s just we never open up in front of the people outside our group. If someone was to use our vulnerable side, many people would suffer.”

The president had this distant look on his face so Baekhyun assumed he didn’t want to continue his trail of thoughts. During these few weeks with Chanyeol he already learned that their lives are much more complicated than anyone at school could guess. Suddenly, he was grateful for his life and family. Sure, they worried about money a lot but they were responsible only for themselves while Chanyeol’s parents and soon Chanyeol himself had to carry the burden of many lives on their shoulders. One wrong decision and hundreds of their employees would be affected.

Junmyeon looked at him with a serious expression making shivers run down Baekhyun’s spine. He had a feeling that he won’t like what the president will say next. But there was also sincerity mixed with desperation and maybe a little bit of fear in his eyes causing Baekhyun’s mind to turn blank in anticipation.

“It may sound cliché but if you hurt Chanyeol in any way I’ll make sure you’ll regret that” 

 

_

 

“We spent some time with your lover boy today”

The group was currently in Kris and Tao’s apartment, sitting in front of the TV connected with a laptop and video calling Chanyeol who despite the late hour was still going through some papers scattered on his hotel room’s bed. It was common for them to call each other when one of them was away. They all understood the feeling of loneliness and longing that accompany every trip like that so they always make an effort to support and cheer each other up.

“Oh, wait a second, I got a message” 

“Whip that disgusting smile off of your face, you got a text from your little boyfriend, right?”

Kris was scrutinizing Chanyeol’s lovesick expression when the other took his time staring at the device, visibly overly happy.

“He asked if I’m sleeping and how was my day” – Chanyeol said in a dreamy voice and the guys could only roll their eyes. _No one asked_ was on the tip of Sehun’s tongue but Jongin nudged him in the ribs as if sensing it and wanting to prevent him from ruining their hyung’s good mood. However, no one was there to stop Tao from what he was about to say.

“Good to know Junmyeon hyung didn’t scare him off”

That broke Chanyeol from his state of bliss and his love-struck expression turned into a frown. Jongin mentally face palmed while Sehun snickered next to him.

“What did hyung do?” – Chanyeol’s voice was full of concern after seeing Junmyeon looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Kris found his best friend’s distress all too amusing.

“He gave him the _“if you hurt my friend I’m gonna hurt you”_ talk”

The whole group burst into laughter and Junmyeon had the readiness to actually look ashamed.

“Hey, I didn’t say anything about hurting him”

“Yeah but you said he’s gonna regret it”

“You shouldn’t eavesdrop on private conversations”

They were too busy teasing their friend to notice that Chanyeol suddenly turned serious, his deadly stare making everyone quiet down immediately when they finally realised. 

“Hyung, no matter what will happen, I don’t want you to react in any way”

That took them all by surprise, leaving them gaping stunned at the odd change in Chanyeol’s demeanour. However, Junmyeon didn’t think it was right to just accept that, he wasn’t joking when he said that to Baekhyun, Chanyeol was a precious friend and he promised Mrs Park that he will always make sure to protect him.

“So you will just let him hurt you as he pleases? Chanyeol, you have a fragile heart-“ 

“Hyung, please, just leave it be, I’ll deal with it myself”

 

_

 

“What are you looking so gloomy for? Missing your darling too much?”

It’s the end of the week already but Baekhyun has been looking more and more dejected every day. At the beginning you almost couldn’t see the difference. Sure, he was quieter than usually but he would still laugh and crack jokes. He became more clingy but that would also go unnoticed if it wasn’t increasing day by day. Despite the obvious signs, Baekhyun was still in denial and that’s what made teasing him so fun to his friends.

“Shut up”

He couldn’t even argue with them anymore, deep down knowing that maybe they were a little right. Only a little though. He just got used to having Chanyeol every day that the sudden change made him uneasy. And that’s all there is to it.

“He’s probably jerking off every night thinking about Chanyeol making sweet love to him”

That didn’t mean his friends weren’t getting more annoying each day and what on earth were they even saying.

“Shut up, we haven’t even done it yet”

“WHAT? YOU HAVEN’T HAD S-hmpff”

“Shut the fuck up before the whole school hear you” – Baekhyun whisper-yelled at Jongdae who like usually opened his mouth first before actually using his brain. However, the whole table was already staring at him in disbelief so he felt obligated to explain it further. Even though he really wanted to take his words back. Teasing about having sex was better than teasing about not having it.

“We’re taking it slow”

Even Kyungsoo looked at him with unamused expression.

“Baek, you and Chanyeol had probably fucked half of the school already, cut the bullshit”

“It’s none of your business”

This was making him even more frustrated, like he didn’t have problems even without their mocking.

“Why though? He can’t get it up because of your stupid mullet or something? I told you to cut it a long time ago and it finally backfired on you”

Count on Jongdae to say something that would actually make sense one day. No chance.

“I swear I’m going to fucking kill you one day Kim Jongdae”

“Don’t get so worked up princess, you said it yourself, it’s only for a week, your prince Chan-ming will be back in no time”

At this point Baekhyun was so done with the lame jokes and all that he could only sign loudly.

“I don’t miss him guys, I just didn’t get much sleep”

“Not much sleep, huh?” ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )

“I hate you”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... it's been a long time
> 
> but if anyone is worried (does anyone even care?) whether i'll finish this fic you don't have to, i have written scenes up till 10th chapter already it's just that i don't write them in chronological order so it takes longer for me to update a whole chapter
> 
> Anyways, stream tempo \ (•◡•) /  
> i'm obsessed with all songs from the album, how can anyone choose fav  
> i already ranted about it on twitter so i won't bother here  
> enjoy the comeback, our boys are finally back i'm so happy~
> 
> PS: I just realised I made the bet about a motorbike and then exo came back with biker concept, am I psychic or what O.O

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I'll try to update soon. Please leave a comment, I'm curious about the feedback since I've never written anything.  
> In the meantime you can hit me up on twitter @AnnaMaryBlue_ if you want to scream about Park Chanyeol or basically any other member  
> Have a good day :)


End file.
